The organization

We provide a transformative experience in which young people who have spent time in juvenile facilities rotate through every aspect of the restaurant from waiting tables to washing dishes, while working side-by-side with established chefs. They learn life and job skills, resulting in confident individuals who are equipped for future success.

THE RESTAURANT

We proudly serve fresh, locally sourced, elegant, and sophisticated American cuisine in our permanent home in the heart of downtown Dallas. Each and every meal is prepared and served to you by our award-winning team of chefs and the young people involved in the program.

A NEW EXPERIENCE EVERY MONTH

Café Momentum was created in 2011 with monthly Pop-Up dinners featuring local chefs in local restaurants. We are continuing that tradition with monthly Pop-Ins featuring local, national, and global chefs and personalities. The restaurant will feature our Pop-In chef’s specials on our monthly and seasonal menus.

NEXT POP-IN DINNER

Date to be announced

Featuring a nationally renowned chef

Press Esc to close

Marcus Samuelsson—Chef

Chef Marcus Samuelsson had diverse exposures to culinary flavors. He was born in Ethiopia, and grew up with his adopted family in Sweden, learning about foods and cooking alongside his grandmother. In 1989, Samuelsson graduated from the Culinary Institute in Gothenburg Sweden, and worked in restaurants in Sweden and France. In 1994, he arrived in America and began working with Aquavit. In 1995, at the age of 23, Samuelsson became the youngest chef to receive a 3-star rating from the New York Times.

Samuelsson continued to win awards and recognition. In 1999, he received the Rising Star Chef Award from the James Beard Foundation and in 2003, he was recognized as “Best Chef, New York City.” Samuelsson continued to share his unique style through cookbooks, books, and appearances. In 2010, he opened Red Rooster Harlem, which allowed him to combine the flavors and styles that influenced him, resulting in American comfort food, with an African and Swedish influence, served in a place filled with people as diverse as his food. Samuelsson has won Top Chef Masters and serves as one of the judges on The Taste.

Samuelsson is passionate about both his local community and the health of those around the world. He and his wife started The Three Goats Organization, a New York based non-profit organization that is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of children, young women and families in Ethiopia by providing sustainable access to vital resources, such as food and water. He has been a UNICEF ambassador since 2000.

OUR MISSION IN ACTION

Since its inception in 2011, at-risk young people involved with Café Momentum have plated 18,750 dishes, serving 190 courses to 3,814 guests at 41 Pop-Up dinners. Over 200 young men have gained restaurant skills ranging from the back of the house to the front of the house. They have also formed bonds with mentors, gained self-confidence, and know that success is attainable.

OUR TEAM

The Café Momentum team is headed by our Executive Director Chad Houser, Executive Chef de Cuisine, Eric Shelton, and Executive Sous Chef, Justin Box. These seasoned professionals provide a culture of learning while dishing up some of the most creative plates in Dallas.

OUR ALUMNI

We are proud to present profiles of several of the young men that have experienced our program and what it has taught them. These young men assigned to the Dallas County Youth Village were deemed unsalvageable by society and trapped in a cycle of crime and punishment.